BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Not in Our House!
When Great Bend's Ian Premer rocked home a slam dunk, he left Hutchinson's Julian Smith behind on the ground literally and figuratively for a 44-25 lead.
The Panthers' revenge tour is officially signed, sealed and delivered after they steamed past the Salthawks 69-54 before a raucous home crowd. The Panthers clinch their first 5A state basketball tournament trip since 2010 when they lost 60-47 to Gardner Edgerton.
Great Bend (17-5) will meet Maize South (22-0) at 6 p.m. March 6 at the 5A state tournament at Emporia. Other 5A state qualifiers are Highland Park 21-1, KC Piper 19-3, Shawnee Heights 19-3, Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 19-3, DeSoto 18-4, Andover 18-4.
Great Bend completed a trifecta by avenging losses to Garden City, WAC champion Hays High and Hutchinson after losing the first meeting to each team. Hutchinson beat the Panthers 71-61 in January.
After a brief delay, the Panther students celebrated by storming the court.
"We deserve a celebration," said Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh, who earned his biggest victory since stopping Central Plains' 45-game winning streak in 2014. "These guys are awesome."
As usual, All-WAC Premer was the ringleader with aggressive defense and rebounding, 23 points, eight field goals and 6 of 7 foul shooting.
"We've gotten better since we played those teams," Premer said. "We've learned to lock down and play defense. We believe we're the hottest team in 5A."
Great Bend coach Kyle Kriegh appreciates Premer's all-around ability.
"Ian is a stats stuffer," Kriegh said.
Maddox Spray enjoyed a career high 21-point night with 11 of 13 free throw shooting.
"Maddox is deserving because he's got a solid work ethic with a smile," Kriegh said. "He's invested time in the gym working on his game."
Jacob Hall was flawless with 5 of 5 shooting and 2 of 2 free throws for 13 points. The Panthers did a superb job attacking the basket with 24 of 31 free throws to gain a 19-point advantage over the Salthawks.
Great Bend overcame 18 turnovers with crisp offensive execution that delivered 21 of 34 field goals, 62%.
Hutchinson guard Terrell King gave the Panthers fits with 21 points off lightning-quick moves. Jax Henaha scored 16 second-half points after a scoreless first half. The other Salthawks converted 6 of 21 field goals.
King kept Hutchinson within 23-17 at halftime before the dynamic duo of Premer and Spray combined for 22 third-quarter points for a 45-31 lead after three quarters. Spray was fearless attacking the basket to mix with baskets off transition.
The Salthawks battled within 58-47 when the Panthers closed with an 11-7 run. The Panthers' sticky defense held the Salthawks (15-7) to 22 of 55 shooting (40%) and 5 of 16 from long range.
Hutchinson 7 10 14 23 – 54
Great Bend 12 11 22 14 – 69
HUTCHINSON (15-7)–King 9-16 2-4 21, Henaha 7-18 0-2 16, Clark 0-2 2-2 2, Govain 3-7 0-0 6, Lewis 0-0 0-2 0, Spiller 2-5 0-0 6, VanSyckle 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 1-6 1-5 3, Totals 22-55 5-15 54.
GREAT BEND (17-5)–Premer 8-13 6-7 23, Spray 5-8 11-13 21, Hall 5-5 2-2 13, Coombs 1-4 1-2 4, Ohnmacht 1-1 2-3 4, Minton 0-0 2-4 2, Nicholson 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 21-34 24-31 69.
3-pointers–H 5-16 (Spiller 2-4, Henaha 2-6, King 1-2, Smith 0-4); GB 3-8 (Hall 1-1, Premer 1-1, Coombs 1-3, Spray 0-1, Dicks 0-2)
5A BOYS STATE MARCH 6, EMPORIA
2 p.m.– Highland Park (21-1) vs. Andover (18-4).
4 p.m. – KC Piper (19-3) vs. Shawnee Heights (19-3)
6 p.m. – Maize South (22-0) vs, Great Bend (17-5)
8 p.m.– Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel (19-3) vs. DeSoto (18-4)
